If the Flames' turnaround from a 1-8-2 start leads to a playoff berth, a subplot - minor leaguer goaltender Tyler Moss' five-game call-up late in October and early November - might have been a turning point.
At the time, Rick Tabaracci took his benching and coach Brian Sutter's criticism of the Flames' goaltending as a personal challenge and has become one of the league's hottest goaltenders.
"Obviously, he didn't like it, and I don't blame him because he's a competitor," Flames general manager Al Coates says. "Our goalies would agree we weren't getting the kind of goaltending necessary to win in this league. We got on a little bit of a roll (with Moss), got some points and went right back to our No. 1 guy."
Since mid-November, Tabaracci has played very well. He's now on a 4-0 run, stopping 109 of 115 shots.
Even with the team's poor early record, Coates wasn't too concerned.
"I think most people would say that we have outworked most teams most nights all year and simply weren't getting the results. We had 10 one-goal losses," he says. "We had 13 games in overtime. That's an indication that we were close and we needed to find some way of getting over the hump. Goaltending has made a big difference. We've been getting the big stop when we needed it."
Tabaracci is providing stability in his second stint in Calgary. Squeezed out in a three-goalie logjam, he was dealt to Tampa Bay in November 1996 for forward Aaron Gavey.
"He was very popular with his teammates and with the fans," Coates says. "When you trade a player with popularity, you're not happy about it. Did it affect the team? We missed the playoffs by a very small margin. Would that have made the difference? You really can't tell."
The Flames re-acquired Tabaracci in June, traded goaltender Trevor Kidd in August and signed Tabaracci to a contract extension Monday.
Calgary looks like a playoff contender. The team is getting production from three lines, and the No. 1 German Titov-Michael Nylander-Theo Fleury line has been hot.
"We have simply played a lot better as a team," Coates says. "A lot of the things that Brian Sutter was trying to instill in the team in the early part of the year are just starting to show up in the last 3-4 weeks."